“What?”
Startled by the sudden appearance of a message before his eyes, Taewoon instinctively turned his head. A low chuckle escaped from him as he rubbed his forehead.
“Living just once, they say you won’t starve to death…”
There was no need to ponder the identity of the message.
It was the characteristic All-Things Theater, which had finally broken its long silence to reveal itself.
Why now?
Taewoon reached out to touch the mirror as a test, expressing his intention to enter All-Things Theater. Once again, the same message appeared to greet him.
“Damn it. Who comes up with nonsense like this…?”
He had to think of the keyword All-Things Theater while facing a mirror to open the entrance. Who in their right mind would come up with such an absurd condition?
Despite his irritation, a thrill of excitement coursed through Taewoon.
And the next step was obvious.
Ding!
【Would you like to enter the theater?】
【With your current tickets, you can access up to three theaters.】
▶【The Red Man (★☆) / Action, Mystery, Thriller】
▶【Clarté (★★) / Romance, Action, Historical Drama】
▶【Match Point (★) / Sports, Crime, Suspense】
This…
Understanding it wasn’t difficult, but the form of progression was baffling.
He’d thought All-Things Theater was a peculiar name, but he never imagined the trait would be something like this.
The titles and genres are displayed, but what’s this next to them?
It didn’t seem quite accurate to call it a rating. He guessed it might indicate the theater’s difficulty level.
Selecting a theater and “entering” it—this was the proper way to use All-Things Theater.
After some deliberation, Taewoon placed his hand on the mirror and made his choice.
【You have selected The Red Man. Would you like to enter?】
“Yes.”
He dismissed Clarté, as it seemed the most challenging, and chose The Red Man—a genre he was more familiar with.
Action, Mystery, Thriller. It’s not hard to get a rough idea of the theater’s theme.
Whoosh!
As soon as he finalized his choice, the mirror shimmered with an otherworldly light, drawing him in. When Taewoon placed his hand on it, it felt like passing through a veil. His consciousness began to spiral away.
Flash!
When the dazzling light subsided, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.
Surrounded by pitch blackness, with no one else in sight.
And there, another set of choices appeared before him.
【Select your entry privilege!】
▶【A Handful of Blessings】
▶【A Step of Change】
▶【A Word of Advice】
This is…
It seemed to be some sort of selectable advantage. At least, that’s how Taewoon interpreted it.
Which would be the most effective?
He had no way of knowing. Taewoon had no clue what awaited him in the theater.
Thus, he was drawn to the most straightforward option—A Word of Advice.
“I’ll choose A Word of Advice.”
【You have selected your entry privilege!】
▶【A Word of Advice: Wilson Craig is the culprit.】
Before he could even process its meaning, his vision blacked out again, and his consciousness was sucked into a massive vortex.
Clank!
When he came to, Taewoon was dressed in a tidy medieval-style suit, sitting in a luxurious carriage.
What the hell is going on?
Thrown from one thing to another, he barely had time to think.
Still, Taewoon was certain of one thing—he was now inside the theater. He quickly began assessing his surroundings.
A mysterious woman in front of me… And what’s this in my pocket?
Fumbling discreetly in his clothes, he found three tickets. One of them was being consumed by ashen flames, disintegrating into dust.
Fwoosh!
The mysterious woman in the carriage didn’t seem to notice the strange sight. Clearing his throat, Taewoon asked her quietly.
“Excuse me, but where is this carriage headed?”
“Oh my, Baron Werik! Have you been dozing off?”
Apparently, in this theater, Taewoon was seen as a man named Albert Werik. He was accompanying Mary, a skilled seamstress, to a party hosted by the Hendou Marquisate.
So, I’ve been given a role to play.
Having survived many twists and turns in life, Taewoon wasn’t slow on the uptake.
As he chatted with Mary, he gleaned what he could about the situation.
“Rumors say the Hendou family parties are extraordinary. It’s such a rare opportunity!”
“Indeed.”
“I barely slept last night, my excitement kept me awake. I hope it becomes an unforgettable memory.”
Taewoon’s thoughts drifted back to the theater’s genres—Action, Mystery, Thriller.
The simplest deduction was a murder taking place at the mansion.
And that advice—‘Wilson Craig is the culprit.’
It was likely pointing him toward the mansion’s impending incident and identifying the perpetrator.
But…
From the start, this was clearly stated by the theater to be a single piece of advice.
But could things really be that simple?
Naturally, Taewoon couldn’t help but doubt it.
“Wilson Craig is the ‘Black’… huh.”
That “Black” might refer to the culprit, but there was also a distinct possibility it didn’t.
As he mulled over this, news from the coachman outside reached him—they were almost at the mansion.
“…”
Indeed, regardless of anything else, it was time to enter the mansion and gather information.
Organizing his tangled thoughts, Taewoon followed a servant’s guidance to unpack in the room assigned to him.
What kind of mansion is this, anyway?
First of all, the size was overwhelming.
What he had envisioned as a grand noble’s residence turned out to be closer to an actual fortress.
Four entire floors, and each one is massive.
There were a banquet hall, dressing rooms, an enormous library, and even exhibition halls—so many spaces that memorizing their purposes in a short time was nearly impossible.
If something were to happen in such a place, understanding the surrounding situation would undoubtedly become exponentially harder.
“…This is going to be difficult.”
“Is there a problem, sir?”
“No, just lost in thought for a moment. Do I have any official schedule coming up?”
Inquiring with an elderly servant who appeared to work for the household, Taewoon learned that a party would begin at 10 p.m. that night.
In that case, I’ll have time to explore until nightfall.
Since he had no leads yet, Taewoon began scouring the mansion, observing its layout and structure.
During his exploration, he managed to get acquainted with a few of the staff and exchanged pleasantries with some other nobles who seemed to be guests at the party.
Hours later, after exhausting his legs wandering all day, Taewoon realized one simple fact.
I don’t know a damn thing.
There were far too many people in this mansion—servants, external guests, and more.
Taewoon’s initial plan of marking out key individuals like in a movie proved hopelessly naive.
What the hell is this mess?
At this rate, trying to identify anyone suspicious would take an eternity.
In most mystery films, the cast is relatively small and defined, but this was completely chaotic!
Or… should I be thinking about it the other way around?
While complaining aloud, it dawned on him—perhaps his approach to clearing the theater’s task was flawed from the start.
Instead of focusing on the people around him, wasn’t it time to gather information about the title “Red Man”?
With this in mind, Taewoon returned to the second floor where his room was located and approached Mary, whom he happened to run into.
“The Red Man? I’ve never heard of such rumors.”
“Is that so?”
“Well, I’ve heard that in the distant Cologne region, people with red hair and red eyes are common. Perhaps it’s related to that?”
Seeing no further progress in the conversation, Taewoon thanked her briefly and returned to his room to ponder.
Yeah. This isn’t the way to go either.
Taewoon wasn’t some master detective or brilliant scholar just because he had watched a few movies and skimmed some books in real life.
Gather clues, deduce the identity of the mastermind, and expose them?
The idea sounded great, but why should he contort himself to fit the theater’s intent, fumbling like an amateur?
At the end of the day, people should stick to what they’re good at.
With this thought, Taewoon brushed aside unnecessary concerns and set off confidently to find Wilson Craig.
“Earl Craig? I saw him having tea in the garden earlier.”
“Thank you.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t difficult to track him down, and soon, Taewoon stood face-to-face with the earl.
“So, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, my lord. If it’s not too much trouble, could you spare me a moment of your time?”
Wilson Craig’s first impression was that of a distinguished noble gentleman.
He seemed to be in his early fifties, with a somewhat stout figure that matched his impressive height, making his appearance far from unseemly.
Though Taewoon prided himself on being able to read people, it was hard to gauge much from just a glance.
“Well then, what do you wish to ask?”
“I’ve heard much about your reputation, my lord. I understand you recently achieved great success in the transport business in Holman. I admire your impeccable skill, and as someone interested in the field myself, I find it incredibly inspiring.”
Taewoon started with a string of flattery, drawing from the chatter he’d overheard during his earlier rounds. However, Wilson didn’t even show a flicker of satisfaction, as if he was long accustomed to such praise.
Not working, huh?
For over ten minutes, Taewoon attempted various angles in conversation, but to him, Wilson came across as nothing more than a cautious noble and a shrewd businessman.
I can’t figure him out. But that just makes him more suspicious.
There was definitely something about this man. Yet, neither Taewoon’s intuition nor his conversational skills could uncover the hidden layers.
In that case, perhaps it was time for a more “direct” approach.
We’ll see each other again tonight, Wilson.
The first day’s investigation concluded with this meaningful resolve, and finally, night fell.
It was time for the party to begin.